A source has told me that two Florida Gator football players were recently cited for failing to pay a tab at a restaurant.
The source said that running back Adam Lane and defensive tackle Caleb Brantley ran up a tab of approximately $90 at a Splitz Bowling Alley. They then walked out of the bar without paying. Legally speaking, that’s a second degree misdemeanor labeled as “FRAUD-SWINDLE: DEFRAUD INNKEEPER UNDER 300 DOLLARS”. Neither player has been formally arrested.
Brantley, Lane and a few other people walked into Splitz Bowling Alley in Gainesville (which also has a bar and grill in it) just before 9:00pm on July 4th. The two left 45 minutes later without paying their respective tabs; the reports list the incident as having taken place at 10:41pm. Brantley’s was for $42.34, while Lane’s was for $16.93. The rest of the group accumulated the remainder of the ~$90 tab.
UPDATE: a source has told me that Lane has settled his tab.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Griffeth stated that Brantley was identified “during personal contact with him.” According to Griffeth, Brantley was read his Miranda rights, which he subsequently waived. Brantley then admitted that he had run up a tab of over $40 and then walked out without paying it. Brantley also admitted that Lane and a third, unidentified person had been at him with Splitz and left without paying.
Fellow ACSO deputy Carlos Casanova wrote up the report on Lane. In it, he noted that Lane was placed in a photo lineup, and positively identified by a fellow Splitz patron that night. Casanova named three additional people (Brantley was one of them) as suspects.
I have also obtained court documents from the Alachua County Court Records confirming the incident.
Here’s the court case against Brantley:
And here’s the court case against Lane:
Lane is expected to help Kelvin Taylor carry the load at running back, while Brantley figures to be a key piece on the Gators’ defensive line rotation. I’m using the present tense here, because I doubt the punishment for both players will be too severe. This isn’t all that different from what Jameis Winston did in Publix last April, and like Winston, I don’t expect the players to be suspended for very long- if at all. A second degree misdemeanor is not a particularly serious charge, and so this case should be handled lightning fast.
UPDATE: UF is aware of the situation, and said that “it has been dealt with.”
These kids made a mistake. It’s a dumb one to make, but it’s also not the end of the world. And hopefully, the experience will teach them a lesson, and make them better for it.
